USC has announced that Kimberly Freeman has been hired as the new Associate Dean and Chief Diversity Officer for the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. She is working with faculty, staff and students to complete the development and implementation of a college-wide diversity strategic plan. This will include strategies for recruitment and retention of an increasingly diverse community, assessment of ongoing and proposed diversity initiatives, and cultivation of an inclusive college environment that promotes success for students, faculty and staff.
Her role will include supporting mentorship and training initiatives, including training on topics related to diversity, inclusion, campus climate, civility, and equity. She will work to enhance the educational experience of students and establish an inclusive welcoming environment for culturally diverse students, staff and faculty.
Freeman comes to USC Dornsife from UCLA Anderson School of Management, where she served for four years as assistant dean for diversity initiatives and community relations. Freeman said her primary goal in her new role will be to build an inclusive culture at USC.
Freeman earned a bachelor’s in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of California, Berkeley. As a student, she was active in the National Society of Black Engineers, a student-run, non-profit organization that built strong students, leaders, and professionals in the engineering and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
Freeman is not new to the Trojan Family. While working as an environmental engineering specialist for Southern California Gas Company she earned her master’s from USC Price School of Public Policy and later an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. (She is now completing a doctorate in Education Leadership at UCLA.)
Kimberly Freeman has extensive knowledge and experience in working within the South Los Angeles and Southern California community. Previously Ms. Freeman worked at Southern California Gas as the Director of Community Relations. She was the lead person in supporting a number of community and non-profit programs for So. Cal Gas and lead the team that was responsible for managing all of the non-profit and philanthropic inititiatives for the Gas Company and Sempra Energy. She was also served as an adjunct professor at USC Price School of Public Policy.
In an interview with Susan Bell in a USC Dornsife publication Ms. Freeman stated that “Whether at school, at work, or abroad, I have always been in settings where I’ve had to meet new people and learn about new cultures,” she said. “Those early experiences have informed my worldview, my professional choices and how I view the importance of diversity and inclusion in workplaces and on campuses like USC.”
Notwithstanding her love of travel, she said she’s glad to have returned to USC.
“I’ve traveled back to USC for this next part of my career journey, and it feels like home. I love the integration of the campus with the community. I walked on campus the first day, and I already felt the connection.”
